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Articles of Section 'Comedy Reviews'.

Bryan Callen's standup may be too much of a good thing

Bryan Callen's standup may be too much of a good thing

By Guy MacPherson | January 27, 2012
Going too long can’t totally negate the laughs you had along the way, but it can really diminish the overall experience.
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Snowed In Comedy Tour brings the laughs to Granville Island

Snowed In Comedy Tour brings the laughs to Granville Island

By Guy MacPherson | January 16, 2012
Wish for next year: a bigger venue so that a second show won’t have to be added and the comics can stretch out a bit. But keep the snow. It was a nice touch.
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Demetri Martin shows off his comedic charms in Vancouver

Demetri Martin shows off his comedic charms in Vancouver

By Guy MacPherson | January 9, 2012
Demetri Martin is an oddly compelling theatre performer.
Nothing's obvious about Glenn Wool's standup

Nothing's obvious about Glenn Wool's standup

By Guy MacPherson | November 25, 2011
One of the best comics to come out of Vancouver, Glenn Wool moves from the absurd to the more absurd in his show at the Comedy MIX.
Vancouver TheatreSports League gets a little holly-jolly in Off-White Christmas: An Improvised Holiday Comedy Show

Vancouver TheatreSports League gets a little holly-jolly in Off-White Christmas: An Improvised Holiday Comedy Show

By Guy MacPherson | November 21, 2011
Depending on what you think of the holidays, the local troupe’s latest seasonal offering is not a big departure from the standard fare you can find on Granville Island any other time of the year.
Jim Jefferies brings his brand of debauchery to the Rickshaw

Jim Jefferies brings his brand of debauchery to the Rickshaw

By Guy MacPherson | October 24, 2011
How do you explain a standup comedy show that wasn’t advertised anywhere featuring a nonhousehold name selling out two shows to the tune of about 1,000 tickets?
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Daniel Tosh demonstrates that anything can be made funny, even 9/11 and a deadly hurricane

Daniel Tosh demonstrates that anything can be made funny, even 9/11 and a deadly hurricane

By Guy MacPherson | August 14, 2011
The Comedy Central star can deadpan caustic and cringe-worthy material, but the crowd never really knows how serious he is.
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Russell Brand much more than a pretty face at the River Rock

Russell Brand much more than a pretty face at the River Rock

By Guy MacPherson | August 7, 2011
The bulk of his act was variations on dick jokes, but they were artful dick jokes.
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Things get downright dirty at Just for Laughs Presents: The Nasty Show

Things get downright dirty at Just for Laughs Presents: The Nasty Show

By Guy MacPherson | June 13, 2011
Deep-throating a communal microphone was just the tip of the iceberg at this raunchy comedy show.
Tommy Tiernan relishes being the jester

Tommy Tiernan relishes being the jester

By Guy MacPherson | May 16, 2011
The Irish wit's act was a well-executed symphony of laughs.
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In My Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour, Charlie Sheen's strafing runs at exes and execs go on and on

In My Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour, Charlie Sheen's strafing runs at exes and execs go on and on

By Adrian Mack | May 3, 2011
Tawdry rants left Canuck comic Russell Peters to liven things up with a few zingers
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I Canât Believe Itâs Not Butter Chicken hams it up in The Butter Chickenâs Backâ¦Alright!

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Chicken hams it up in The Butter Chicken’s Back”¦Alright!

By Guy MacPherson | April 25, 2011
There were some good lines and strong premises, but the overall writing bordered on amateur hour.
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Brent Butt makes a welcome return to Vancouver's standup scene

Brent Butt makes a welcome return to Vancouver's standup scene

By Guy MacPherson | April 14, 2011
I’ve long held that there’s not a funnier comic working than Brent Butt.
George Lopez keeps it real in his first standup appearance in Vancouver

George Lopez keeps it real in his first standup appearance in Vancouver

By Guy MacPherson | April 11, 2011
The comic is relatable with stories from his youth, being raised by a racist grandmother, and his love of the sauce.
Fans got their money's worth at Chelsea Handler's Vancouver show

Fans got their money's worth at Chelsea Handler's Vancouver show

By Guy MacPherson | February 21, 2011
She’s smart, she’s opinionated, she’s got a defined persona, and she writes good jokes. That is, she used to write good jokes.
Dane Cook had no shortage of adulation in Vancouver

Dane Cook had no shortage of adulation in Vancouver

By Jenny Charlesworth | November 30, 2010
With chiselled good looks and a cocky, frat-boy demeanour, there’s ample reason to dismiss Dane Cook as a real comedic powerhouse.
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Billy Connolly is an infinite jester

Billy Connolly is an infinite jester

By Guy MacPherson | November 26, 2010
The show would have been better chopped by an hour, but how can you rein in such a raconteur?
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No weak links in Vancouver TheatreSports Leagueâs Bite Me

No weak links in Vancouver TheatreSports League’s Bite Me

By Guy MacPherson | October 18, 2010
If you love improv, you might think the new Vancouver TheatreSports League show, Bite Me, is a case of gilding the lily.
While scaled down, Global ComedyFest still leaves 'em laughing

While scaled down, Global ComedyFest still leaves 'em laughing

By Guy MacPherson | September 27, 2010
While there was still more than enough comedy, hopefully next year it rebounds to its former size.
Joe Mande and Iliza Shlesinger bridge the comedy divide at Vancouver's Global ComedyFest

Joe Mande and Iliza Shlesinger bridge the comedy divide at Vancouver's Global ComedyFest

By Guy MacPherson | September 20, 2010
There’s a great divide in the standup-comedy world.
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Fall arts preview: Comedy critics' picks: Big and indie names take the standup mike

Fall arts preview: Comedy critics' picks: Big and indie names take the standup mike

By Guy MacPherson | September 16, 2010
The saving grace of humour, as cup-half-full comedian A. Whitney Brown once said, is that if you fail, no one laughs at you.
Margaret Choâs focus on toilet parts radiantly funny

Margaret Cho’s focus on toilet parts radiantly funny

By Adrian Mack | August 30, 2010
Margaret Cho’s August 28 performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre was a good night for the veteran comedian.
Jerry Seinfeld's act sounds a lot like it did six years ago

Jerry Seinfeld's act sounds a lot like it did six years ago

By Guy MacPherson | August 20, 2010
Seinfeld is a master craftsman who is as good a performer as he is a writer—but if you’re going to recycle material, charging over 100 bucks per seat is pretty dismal.
Vancouver TheatreSports takes improv to new heights with The ImprovMusical

Vancouver TheatreSports takes improv to new heights with The ImprovMusical

By Guy MacPherson | July 29, 2010
The Vancouver TheatreSports League is proving that it is possible not only to create lyrics on the fly, but to harmonize them and do backing vocals, choruses, and choreography throughout a one-hour performance.
Comedian Ian Bagg doesn't pull any punches

Comedian Ian Bagg doesn't pull any punches

By Guy MacPherson | June 18, 2010
Bagg spares no one, but doesn’t attack anyone. Rather, he shows more of a gleeful and benign ignorance of acceptable social interaction.

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